Dispensing valve



W. MILDER Oct. 30, 1928.

DISPENSING VALVE Filed Oct. 14, L927 INVENTOR" ATTORN EY Patented Get. 30, 1928.

UNlTED STATES WILLIAM PATENT OFFICE.

MILDER, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR TO VICTOR VALVES, ING, OF

OMAHA, NEBRASKA, A CORPORATION OF NEBRASKA.

DISPENSING VALVE.

Application filed October 14, 1927. Serial No; 226,147.

The invention generally relates to dispensing valves of the type adapted to deliver a me; sured quantity of liquid from a container, and primarily has for its object to provide certain new and useful improvements in valves of the type stated and particularly over the valve structure disclosed in Patent #lditihditlii issued December 15, 1225.

in the valve of the patent mentioned some diliiculties have been experienced in keeping the valve parts in suitably clean and sanitary condition, due to their peculiar structure and arrangement, and also because of the misadiustinents of the parts occasioned intentionally or inadvertently by users, causing waste and in'iproper functioning of the valves.

Therefore, in. its more detailed nature the in'-.'ention seeks to provide in a valve of the particular type mentioned, variable means to control or measure the quantity of liquid to be dispensed at a single operation of the valve, so constructed and arranged to render intentional misadjustinent practically impossible and inadvertent misadjustment wholly impossible, and cooperating parts so constructed and arranged-as to provide a structure more simple and economical to manufacture, and more sanitary and easy to keep clean than the valve. structure referred to.

ll ith the above and other objects in view that will hereinafter. appear, the invention further resides in the novel. details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all. of which will be fully described in the following detailed description, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, in which 1 Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the valve, the moving parts being shown in the normal, at rest position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the parts being shown at the maximum discharge position.

Figures 3 and i are horizontal cross sections taken on the lines 33 and 4t& respectively on Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the slidable valve member.

Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are side elevations of varied sizes of limiting collars.

In the practical. development of the invention I provide a casing comprising a lower hollow cylindrical portion 1 and an upper h0llow cylindrical portion 2 which. is screwed on to the threaded upper end of the said lower portion 1. The inside diameters of the parts 1 and 2 are alike so that they collectively provide a sinooili-luired cylindrical chamber.

At the lower end of the casing part 1 is a tubular neck 3 which is threaded externally to receive the spout 4t. At its lower end the spout-4t is externally threaded, and against said end is seated a screen 5 which is held in place by a flanged ring (5 screwed upon the threaded spout end, as shown. The ring 6 is knurled to facilitate its removal, and replacement when cleaning, and a portion of the lower casing member 1, indicated at 7, is also knurled for a like purpose.

At one side of the upper casing member 2 is a threaded inlet aperture 8 into which is screwed the flanged nipple 9 of a pipe-union comprising said nipple, a knurled union-nut 10, and the male unionmembcr 11 with which the nut 10 is detachably engaged, said membr 11 being connected fixedly with the lower portion ofthe receptacle 12 containing the liquid to be measured and delivered by the device.

At the upper end of the casing part 2, and arranged coaxially with the cylinder 1, is a tubular neck 13 through which the plunger or valve-stem 1d passes slidably. The upper end of the stem 1% is threaded and is screwed into the body portion of knob 15. The knob includes an inverted cup-shaped portion or skirt 1.6 which fits loosely over the neck 13.

1 At the lower end of the stem 14 a fiat-bot tomed cylindrical upper valve 17 is affixed thereto or formed integrally therewith. Said valve adapted to engage a seat or central intalite opening in a piston 18 which fits slidably within the cylindrical chamber formed by the casing parts 1 and A tubular stem 19 is formed integrally with the piston. and extends downwardly therefrom tl'irough the cylinder and the neck 3, the stem fitting slidably within said neck.

The longitudinal passage through the stem 19 is continuous with the opening through the piston forming the seat for the valve 17, and in the sides of the stem are holes or ports 20 which connect the cylinder space with said longitudinal passage. The stem is beveled inwardly at its lower end to form a seat for the lower valve 21. Said valve has a noncircular stem 22 which extends up through the piston and has a reduced cylindrical. portion or head 23 adapted normally to project up out of the stem bore into engagement with and to unseat the valve head 17 as illustrated in Figure 1.

The valve 21 is larger in diameter than the tubular piston-stem 19, whereby the outer portion of said valve, which projects laterally beyond the scat at the end'of said stem 19, is adapted to engage a second seat 24: I formed at the lower end of the neck 3.

The valve 21 is normally held in engagement with the seat 2 1 by the upward pressure of the spring 25, and said valve, its engagement with the stem 19, also serves to hold the piston normally in the raised posi- 1 ion shown in Figure 1. The piston and its stem may'be so fitted in the cylinder and neck 3 as to be movable in the cylindrical chamber by gravity, or so that the weight oi the piston will be sufficient to move it downwardly in the cylinder except when it is held up by the pressure of the valve 21 against the seat at the lower end of the stem 19.

The valves 17 and 21 so cooperate that when one is closed or engaged with its seat the other will be open.

The parts being in the normal position shown in Figure 1, downward pressure upon the knob first moves the valves 17 and 21 downwardly to open the lower valve 21 and close the upper valve 17 over the intake opening through the piston head 18.

By continued downward movement the upper valve 17 presses the piston downwardly in the cylindrical chamber, causing the contents thereof beneath the piston to be ejected through the ports and the tubular stem 19, past the lower valve 21 and into the spout' l, whence the ejected liquid is discharged through the screened lower end of said spout.

\Vhen the pressure upon the operatingknob 15 is removed, the spring first reverses the position of the valves 17 and 21 seating or closing the latter and unseating or opening the -former. During this valve action the lower valve 21 engages the seat in the stem 19 and raises the piston to its normal position in the upper part of the cylindrical chamber.

During the upward movement of the piston, liquid from the upper part of the cylindrical chamber, supplied thereto from the receptacle 12, passes the open. upper valve 17 and through the ports 20 to re-fill the space beneath the piston. At the end of the upward stroke the lower valve 21 engages the seat 24 and prevents leakage of the liquid from the chamber through the slidably fitted joint between the stem 19 and neck 3.

During the positive and relatively rapid downward movement of the stem 14, the resistance to flow of the liquid through the restricted passage past the valve 21 causes a back pressure in the cylinder space which holds the piston up against the valve 17, and prevents upward flow past said valve.

In Figures 6 to 9 inclusive various sizes of stop collars 26 are shown, each being suitably marked to indicate the amount of liquid discharged under its control. The collars are selectively mounted in the bottom part of the cylindrical chamber beneath the piston and surrounding the piston stem 19 in annular spaced relation to form an annular well 27, and serve to limit the downward movement oi the piston 18. Obviously the smaller the stop collar is the greater is the downward movement of the piston, so that they vary the controlled amount of liquid dispensed inversely as their sizes vary.

The stop limit control provided by the selective collars is positive and accurate and as the selected collar is mounted inside the liquid chamber and beneath the piston it is safe from meddling and by its character cannot become misadjusted as did the limiting screw connections of the patented structure referred to by mere continued usage and hand engagement.

The stop collar in use is therefore hidden and probably unknown to the user of the valve. Should the user know of the collar equipment and be meddlesome enough to try to tamper with the adjustment, he still would be unable to accomplish his purpose because he would not have the other varied sizes of collars and, it an unauthorized person, could not obtain them.

If the stem 19 fits loosely in the neck 3, a slight suction may occur through the joint about the said stem during the upward stroke of the piston, but said suction will merely serve to draw back into the cylinder any excess of the liquid which may remain clinging to the protruding portion of the stem and the edges of the valve 21 thus tending to control dripping after flow of liquid;

The principal factor inpreventing dripping ot the liquid, following an ejecting operation of the device, is, however, the following: As the valve 21 and the lower portion of the pistonstem 19 are extended into the spout 4: during the ejecting operation, they displace an equivalent volume of air whic must be returned to the spout during the upward stroke of the parts. After the initial ejecting operation there is a film oi the liouid constantly maintained. upon the screen 5 at the end of the spout, such film or liquid being held upon the screen by its capillarity, and forming in effect a liquid seal at the end of the spout.

' Now during the return or upward stroke of the operating parts, air is drawn into the spout'only after a suilicient reduction 01 pressure therein to overcome the liquid seal. and the seal is reformed at the end of the stroke, while the air-pressure in the spout is slightly less than atmospheric. By reason of this difference of pressure, and the capillarity oi the screen 5, any small portion of liquid left in the spout at the end of an ejecting operation is'retained therein until forced out by the next ejecting movement of the operating parts, and all drip or after-flow ot the liquid is effectively prevented.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the. accompanying drawing, it is thought that the novel details of construction, the manner of use and the advantages ot' the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, a hollow casing having a cylindrical liquid receiving chamber, means to deliver liquid to the chamber, a tubular neck depending from the casing, a piston slidable in the chamber and having a tubular stem fitting slidably in said neck, said tubular stem having a valve seat in its lower end and ports adjacent the r piston and adapted to communicate between the chamber beneath the piston and the interior of the tubular stem at times, a lower valve member adapted to seat on the tubular stem seat and having a non-circular stem slide-guided in said tubular stern and a portion projecting slightly above the piston top, a spring normally acting to force the lower valve member upwardly to hold it to its seat, a plunger, a guide for the plunger carried by the casing, and an upper valve carried by the plunger and adapted at times to seat on the piston to close communication from the cham ber above the piston into the tubular stem but normally unseated by said lower valve stem projection.

2. In a device of the class described, a hollow casing havinga cylindrical liquid receiving chamber, means to deliver liquid to the chamber, a tubular neck depending from the casing, a piston slidable in the chamber and having a tubular stem fitting slidably in said neck, said tubular stem having a valve seat in its lower end and ports adjacent the piston and adapted to communicate between the chamber beneath the piston and the interior of the tubular stem at times, a lower valve member adapted to seat on the tubular stem seat and having a non-circular stem slide-guided in said tubular stem and a portion projecting slightly above the piston top, a spring normally acting to force the lower valve member upwardly to hold it to its seat, a plunger, a guide for the plunger carried by the casing, an upper valve carried by the plunger and adapted at times to seat on the piston to close communication from the cham ber above the piston into the tubular stem but normally unseated by said lower valve stem projection, and said tubular neck also having a Valve seat at its lower end normally closedby said valve member.

3. In a device of the class described, a hollow casing having a cylindrical liquid receiving chamber, means to deliver liquid to the chamber, a tubular neck depending from the casing, a piston slidable in the chamber and having a tubular stem fitting slidably in said neck, said tubular stem having a valve seat in its lower end and ports adjacent the piston and adapted to communicate between the chamber beneath the piston and the interior of the tubular stem at times, a lower valve member adapted to seat on the tubular stem seat and having a non-circular stem slidguided in said tubular stem and a portion projectingslightly above the piston top, a spring normally acting to force the lower valve member upwardly to hold it to its seat, a plunger, a guide for the plunger carried by the casing, an upper valve carried by the plunger and adapted at times to seat on the piston to close cennnunication from the chamber above the piston into the tubular stem but normally unseat-ed by said lower valve stem projection, and a stop collar surrounding the tubular stem beneath the piston for the purpose specified.

4. In a device of the class described, a cylinder connected at one end with a source 0t liquid, a piston fitting slidably in said cylinder and having a stem extending slidably through the end thereof opposite said liquid source, said piston and stem having a continuous longitudinal passage and ports connecting said passage with the cylinder-space about the stem, independently movable valves arranged to seat upon opposite ends of the piston and stem to close alternatively the ends of said longitudinal passage, means for actuating said valves to first engage their respective seats and by further movement to actuate the piston, and a stop collar encircling the piston stem in the cylinder beneath the piston.

5. In a device of the class described, a cylinder connected at one end with a source of liquid, a piston fitting slidably in said cylinder and having a stem extending slidably through the end thereof opposite said liquid source, said piston and stem having a continuous longitudinal passage and ports connecting said passage with the cylinder-space about the stem, upper and lower independently movable vaves arranged to seat upon opposite ends of the piston and stem to close alternatively the ends of said longitudinal passage, said lower valve having a stem slidable in the aiston stem and normally projected slightly above the piston to engage and hold unseated the upper valve, a spring engaging the lower valve to normally hold it to its normal seated position, and means for actuating said valves to first engage their respective seats and by further movement to actuate the piston.

6. I11 a device of the class described, a cyl- Ill) inder connectedat one end with a, sourceof liquid, a piston fitting slidably' in said cyli n der and having a stein extending slidably through the end thereof opposite said liquid source, said piston and stem having a continuous longitudinal passage and ports connecting said passage With the cylinder-space about the stem, upper and lower independently D'lOVZLblG valves arranged to seat upon opposite ends of the piston and stem to close alternatively the ends of said longitudinal engage their respective seats and by further 20 movement to actuate the piston.

WVILLIAM MILDER. 

